Current barcode scanning generally requires point of sale (POS) attendants to use handheld or embedded check-stand equipment. The current equipment limits POS attendant's mobility and efficiency, but such limits are necessary to link barcode scanning at POS with inventory control and other business needs.
There have been many advance in recent years in augmented reality vision systems, such as U.S. Pat. No. 8,482,858, which is incorporated herein by reference and which teaches in one embodiment: a contact lens assembly comprising a substrate including optical path optics and configured to receive a display information optical path emitted from a display and a non-display information optical path not emitted from the display. The optical path optics of the substrate is configured to be partially deflective such that the non-display information optical path is transmitted to a human visual system without deflection, and the display information optical path is transmitted to the human visual system with deflection. Therefore, a virtual or display image can be viewed by the human visual system at the same time or superimposed on the normal vision.
Development and advances in virtual reality eyewear are progressing. See for example U.S. Pat. No. 8,228,315 and 2011/0260967. Eyewear can have micro-projectors, cameras, wireless communication links, tethers to smartphones, and the like.
Nonetheless, a need exists to replace check-stand mounted and embedded barcode scanning equipment with an advanced system with augmented reality vision eyewear which can communicate with remote decoders and customer interface. Such a system, not found in the art, would enhance POS operator work, technical capability, and efficiency, and open new possibilities in retail and inventory and source control.